Striker is Arsenal’s in the summer…for £17m

Nobody can deny Villa’s goal scoring prowess and even when he is in and out of the Barcelona side he still manages to net goals. One thing that is for sure is the Spanish international is not getting the rub of the green at the club. After getting himself back into the starting line up, Villa promptly had to check into hospital with kidney stones further damaging his chances of a starting berth.

After the point blank resistance from Barcelona when it came to selling Villa this winter, it has now been claimed that the club will let him leave in the summer – for £17 million. Considering the forward’s contract expires the summer after and the fact he is hardly a spring chicken to say the least, the price tag seems quite steep on first glance.

Of course the front runners for Villa all along have been Arsenal and they still hold a strong interest in the player – but the question over Arsene Wenger spending such a large amount of cash remains.

Villa of course would bring experience to the side, not to mention goals and given the ever growing competitive nature of the Premier League and the battle for the top four – not to mention actual trophies, a player of Villa’s quality is sorely needed at the Emirates Stadium.

Do you think £17m is too much for someone who will be a 32 year old by the summer? Let us know your thoughts below.